diff --git a/.changeset/heavy-flies-dress.md b/.changeset/heavy-flies-dress.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6bc6ad8ee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/heavy-flies-dress.md
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+---
+"myst-to-typst": patch
+"myst-to-tex": patch
+---
+
+Support `div` and `span` in typst and tex
diff --git a/packages/myst-to-tex/src/index.ts b/packages/myst-to-tex/src/index.ts
index 94982b158..ac8b77ac0 100644
--- a/packages/myst-to-tex/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/myst-to-tex/src/index.ts
@@ -229,6 +229,12 @@ const handlers: Record<string, Handler> = {
   mystDirective(node, state) {
     state.renderChildren(node, false);
   },
+  div(node, state) {
+    state.renderChildren(node, false);
+  },
+  span(node, state) {
+    state.renderChildren(node, true);
+  },
   comment(node, state) {
     state.ensureNewLine();
     state.write(`% ${node.value?.split('\n').join('\n% ') ?? ''}`);
diff --git a/packages/myst-to-tex/tests/basic.yml b/packages/myst-to-tex/tests/basic.yml
index e3e5c69ba..4ca87aeb3 100644
--- a/packages/myst-to-tex/tests/basic.yml
+++ b/packages/myst-to-tex/tests/basic.yml
@@ -443,3 +443,21 @@ cases:
     latex: |-
       \newpage
       H\textsubscript{2}O-CO\textsubscript{2}
+  - title: emphasis in a div / span
+    mdast:
+      type: root
+      children:
+        - type: div
+          children:
+            - type: text
+              value: 'Some % '
+            - type: span
+              children:
+                - type: text
+                  value: 'other '
+            - type: emphasis
+              children:
+                - type: text
+                  value: markdown
+    latex: |-
+      Some \% other \textit{markdown}
diff --git a/packages/myst-to-typst/src/index.ts b/packages/myst-to-typst/src/index.ts
index c33be7832..78d017374 100644
--- a/packages/myst-to-typst/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/myst-to-typst/src/index.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,14 @@ import type { VFile } from 'vfile';
 import type { GenericNode } from 'myst-common';
 import { fileError, fileWarn, toText, getMetadataTags } from 'myst-common';
 import { captionHandler, containerHandler } from './container.js';
-import type { Handler, ITypstSerializer, TypstResult, Options, StateData } from './types.js';
+import type {
+  Handler,
+  ITypstSerializer,
+  TypstResult,
+  Options,
+  StateData,
+  RenderChildrenOptions,
+} from './types.js';
 import {
   getLatexImageWidth,
   hrefToLatexText,
@@ -297,7 +304,7 @@ const handlers: Record<string, Handler> = {
     state.write(next ? `#[@${id}]` : `@${id}`);
   },
   citeGroup(node, state) {
-    state.renderChildren(node, 0, ' ');
+    state.renderChildren(node, 0, { delim: ' ' });
   },
   cite(node, state) {
     const needsLabel = !/^[a-zA-Z0-9_\-:.]+$/.test(node.label);
@@ -341,6 +348,12 @@ const handlers: Record<string, Handler> = {
   //     );
   //   }
   // },
+  div(node, state) {
+    state.renderChildren(node, 1);
+  },
+  span(node, state) {
+    state.renderChildren(node, 0, { trimEnd: false });
+  },
 };
 
 class TypstSerializer implements ITypstSerializer {
@@ -396,7 +409,11 @@ class TypstSerializer implements ITypstSerializer {
     this.addNewLine();
   }
 
-  renderChildren(node: Partial<Parent>, trailingNewLines = 0, delim = '') {
+  renderChildren(
+    node: Partial<Parent>,
+    trailingNewLines = 0,
+    { delim = '', trimEnd = true }: RenderChildrenOptions = {},
+  ) {
     const numChildren = node.children?.length ?? 0;
     node.children?.forEach((child, index) => {
       if (!child) return;
@@ -411,7 +428,7 @@ class TypstSerializer implements ITypstSerializer {
       }
       if (delim && index + 1 < numChildren) this.write(delim);
     });
-    this.trimEnd();
+    if (trimEnd) this.trimEnd();
     for (let i = trailingNewLines; i--; ) this.addNewLine();
   }
 
diff --git a/packages/myst-to-typst/src/types.ts b/packages/myst-to-typst/src/types.ts
index e3a68ec97..fb9be8c1a 100644
--- a/packages/myst-to-typst/src/types.ts
+++ b/packages/myst-to-typst/src/types.ts
@@ -36,6 +36,8 @@ export type StateData = {
   };
 };
 
+export type RenderChildrenOptions = { delim?: string; trimEnd?: boolean };
+
 export interface ITypstSerializer<D extends Record<string, any> = StateData> {
   file: VFile;
   data: D;
@@ -47,7 +49,7 @@ export interface ITypstSerializer<D extends Record<string, any> = StateData> {
   trimEnd: () => void;
   ensureNewLine: (trim?: boolean) => void;
   addNewLine: () => void;
-  renderChildren: (node: any, trailingNewLines?: number, delim?: string) => void;
+  renderChildren: (node: any, trailingNewLines?: number, opts?: RenderChildrenOptions) => void;
   renderInlineEnvironment: (node: any, env: string, opts?: { after?: string }) => void;
   renderEnvironment: (
     node: any,
diff --git a/packages/myst-to-typst/tests/basic.yml b/packages/myst-to-typst/tests/basic.yml
index af6431565..753af1e88 100644
--- a/packages/myst-to-typst/tests/basic.yml
+++ b/packages/myst-to-typst/tests/basic.yml
@@ -363,3 +363,21 @@ cases:
     typst: |-
       #pagebreak(weak: true)
       \*escaped symbols\*
+  - title: emphasis in a div / span
+    mdast:
+      type: root
+      children:
+        - type: div
+          children:
+            - type: text
+              value: 'Some % '
+            - type: span
+              children:
+                - type: text
+                  value: 'other '
+            - type: emphasis
+              children:
+                - type: text
+                  value: markdown
+    typst: |-
+      Some % other _markdown_